Our website uses cookies to improve your user experience. If you continue browsing, we assume that you consent to our use of cookies. More information can be found in our Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

An awareness of George Orwell

Tempo

Words are music, as far as I’m concerned. There is a natural pace and rhythm to language, and varying the speeds can ease digestion. Short sentences increase readability speeds, whereas longer ones slow things down. A writer is a composer. Know when to cut to the bridge…

Great listening skills

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemingway

The ability to ask the right questions

And the wrong ones too, but leave those until the end of the interview.

A distinct voice

It can take a little time, but all writers need to discover and cultivate their own tone of voice. A conversational tone can work very well in blogland. I like to read articles with verve, and which convey passion.

An objective approach to subjectivity

There’s nothing much wrong with having an opinion and I encourage writers to express themselves, so long as the basics are all in place. Articles need to be grounded in facts and evidence, however anecdotal, rather than pure opinion (vastly overrated).

Factual accuracy

If you are going to share an opinion then you’d better make sure all of those facts are correct. Otherwise you might end up looking incredibly silly.

A wide vocabulary

I don’t agree with the idea of ‘writing for an intelligent 11 year old’, something that trainee news reporters are sometimes taught in journalism school. We’re all adults, after all, and the ‘define: word’ function in Google is very handy if you’re not sure of the definition. Writers should love the richness and diversity of the English language. And this isn’t about discovering the next Will Self, it’s just that we don’t want to patronise our (often smarter than we are) readers. No need to overdo it, but let’s not fear words with more than two syllables in them!

Analytical skills

A real boon for any journalist, the ability to analyse and make sense of complicated subject matter is an invaluable talent. Econsultancy is in the business of research… we try to make sense of best practice. It can be complicated at the best of times, and more so when things are new and unexplored. As such chin-stroking pipe smoker types are welcomed around these parts.

A fearless approach to data

This follows on from analytical skills. Many people think that writers love words and hate numbers. This is – or certainly needs to be – a misconception. We live in an age of boundless data and the best writers can do a wonderful job of turning numbers into articles by making sense of them, and highlighting trends.

A hatred of PRspeak and associated guff

Leverage those market leading synergies, baby. I’m no fan of PRspeak, and no self-respecting writer will be either.

A self-starter

I don’t need writers to sit next to me. I’m busy enough and really don’t want to have to micromanage writers, and neither does anybody else at this end. Writers, like all staff, need to be able to work autonomously, especially if they’re working from home!

Brains FTW

Our hiring policy can be summed up as follows: “Hire brainy people and trust them to get on with things.” It has worked a treat so far (our staff retention rate is very high).

Curiosity

If you’re not fundamentally curious then you shouldn’t be a writer, or a cat. More often than not the back story is more interesting than the main story. Carry a shovel and dig it up. Find and mine the gaps. Avoid becoming a ‘me too’ writer at all costs.

A thick skin

Some articles will polarise people. Sometimes you’ll mess up and a cacophony of bad noise will erupt. People will call you out. It happens: get over it.

Charm

Many people are distrustful of writers, even when they’re not out to dig the dirt or unearth dastardly exclusives. A little charm can go a long way in making people feel more comfortable.

Content marketing sklls

Writers absolutely need to have a solid understanding of how and why articles become popular. Timing matters. Seeding matters. Headlines matter. It’s not just about having a good story, it’s about being tactical in terms of how it is positioned and promoted. The best bloggers have become experts in content marketing.

Connections

What do your social networks look like? Are you active on Twitter? Who are you hooked up with on LinkedIn? All of these things matter a great deal, especially if it comes to a coin toss when choosing between two writers for one role. Moreover, they show an understanding of a) content marketing and b) networking skills. It’s not just what you know, right?

Formatting awareness

I have written extensively about the need to break up the page for the reader, to help anchor the eye, and to ease digestion. Formatting plays a big part in online writing, and much more so than in print. Be aware of how to write for the web.

Technical skills

We don’t need you to code, but experience of blogging platforms such as WordPress goes a long way. What else? Just simple things: writers should be able to crop and tweak images, fix up basic HTML issues, and make sense of Google Analytics tracking codes. These things can be picked up on the job if necessary, but existing knowledge is preferred. Sidenote: if you’re new to online writing but can operate MS Word then you can easily navigate content management systems to upload articles to the web. Have no fear.

The ability to learn fast

I have a three strike rule. I’m totally happy to explain something once. I’m cool about being asked again for a reminder. If you haven’t taken a note or remembered it the third time around then I will silently judge you / ask why you don’t remember / wonder why you don’t take notes / point you at Google to find the answer / lose the will to live a little.

The desire to react

A blog is not a one-way messaging platform, unless you are Seth Godin and have your comments turned off. Most writers care about the reaction to their articles. They want to see if people agree or disagree. They like to hear “great post” much more than “what a load of bollocks”. Writers should stay tuned in and respond to any relevant comments, on the blog, or on Twitter, or wherever the conversation is taking place. I’ve learned so much from taking note of reader’s comments, and not just on my articles. The community feeds the brain. Cherish it.

Diligence

This is a basic ‘skill’. It can be best summed up as ‘giving a shit’. It applies to sub-editing (no typos). It applies to formatting (no weird line breaks / extra spacing). It applies to facts and figures (“I assume you meant billion, not million?”). It applies to listening and reaction and much more besides.

Gumption

Have courage, use your best judgement, and be an astronaut.

Footnote: Econsultancy is always on the lookout for new talent so if you match the above criteria and are interested in writing for us then please email editor@econsultancy.com.

The difficulties tech companies, particularly in the Silicon Valley area, are having recruiting engineering talent, has been attracting lots of attention lately. For technology companies of all shapes and sizes, people are a huge asset, and that means recruiting is crucial to a company’s success.

Unfortunately, recruiting the right people who are going to help your business grow and succeed can be difficult under most circumstances.

Yesterday, the New York Times officially rolled out its new subscription in the United States.

According to Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., the launch represents a “major step forward” for the storied daily he publishes.

According to Sulzberger, “It will allow us to develop new sources of revenue to strengthen our ability to continue our journalistic mission as well as undertake digital innovations that will enable us to provide you with high-quality journalism on whatever device you choose“.

Online video consumption has doubled in the space of a year, and this rate of growth may well continue for some time to come. It provides brands with a huge opportunity to engage consumers.

Smartphone penetration has helped, though I think the real reason why online video is doing so well is linked to the ease with which videos can be shared. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter are perfect for passing around videos.

So what should brands be doing about this? How can they make the most of this trend towards richer, smarter, more interactive video content?

I have 10 ideas for you to peruse, with plenty of examples, to show you what the smarter brands are doing.

April 8th 201113:34

Latest

According to a newly-published study published by Pew, nearly three-quarters of Facebook users polled said they didn’t know that Facebook generates and stores data about their interests and traits, and, when they came to learn this, over half indicated that they were uncomfortable with Facebook’s practice.

Mastercard, the third-largest credit card processor in the US, has announced a new policy that will make it more difficult for some businesses to automatically convert free trials into recurring subscriptions.

The water industry has faced huge change in recent years. A rising tide of challenges including climate change, population growth, ageing infrastructure, changing customer expectations and regulatory intervention from Ofwat mean water companies are under pressure to perform.